Chennai, Apr 19 (UNI) Volunteers of the Opposition All India Anna DMK (AIADMK) today lighted lamps in front of their houses, throughout Tamil Nadu, in a bid to ''dispell the darkness that had engulfed the state in the DMK regime,'' as directed by Party supremo J Jayalalithaa.

Party cadres lighted lamps exactly at 1830 hrs and raised slogans, calling upon the Party supremo to stage a come back to retrieve the state by removing the darkness.

The event coincided with the auspicious ''Chithra Pournami'', the fullmoon day today, giving an impression that Ms Jayalalithaa, who had strong beliefs in astrology, was trying to invoke the blessings of God to come back to power.

At the party headquarters in the city, Party's women's wing, led by its secretary and former minister P Valarmathi launched the lighting of the lamp ceremony by lighting the traditional ''Kuthu Vilakku''.

Women wing volunteers lighted up more than 5,000 lamps at the Party headquarters, illuminating the entire premises.

Elsewhere in the state, party cadres, after decorating the frontyard of their houses, lighted lamps like Kuthu villaku, the religious Kamakshi Amman lamp and Akal villaku.

Large number of lamps were lighted at Kodanadu estate in Nilgiris district, where Ms Jayalalithaa is camping.

After lighting the lamps, Party volunteers, as directed by Ms Jayalalithaa, raised a slogan, calling upon Amma, as she was reverentially called, to come back to power and dispell the darkness.

The Party leader had said darkness had engulfed the state as the people were suffering following spiralling prices of essentials, power crisis and deterioration of law and order situation after the DMK came to power.

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